Welcome to our community. Please fill in the following template as a way of introducing yourself, and helping others to understand your background and situation.
Where are you from (country)?
UK
How did you find this forum (Google search – if so, what search terms? Via link from a forum or website – if so, what page? Other?)
What is your current age, height, weight?
What specific drug did you use (finasteride, dutasteride, saw palmetto, isotretinoin/Accutane, fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram, leuprorelin, etc…)?
Finasteride, Minoxidil
What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
Topical Finasteride, 1 times a week for a month. 1st week: 0.25mg, 2nd week: 0.125mg, 3rd week: 0.0625mg then quit.
Minoxidil: A month before Fin then 2 months after. Tapered off too, only applied a capful never two.
What condition was being treated with the drug?
Balding 
For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)?
1 month fin, 3 months minox
Date when you started the drug?
Minox: Oct 2023
Fin: Nov 2023 - quit same month
Date when you quit the drug?
Fin: Quit same month
Minox: Dec 2023
Age when you quit?
19
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
Taper
How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects?
Immediate for Fin and Minox took 2 months to show
What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
Fin: Libido is steadily coming back, along with improvements in HF 3 months off
Minox: Stretchy skin, collagen loss, skin indentations, joint pain and popping
Check the boxes that apply. You can save your post first, then interactively check/uncheck the boxes by clicking on them. If your symptoms change, please update your list.
Sexual
[x] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive - Slowly coming back after quitting nicotine but still not like how it was
[ ] Erectile Dysfunction
[ ] Complete Impotence
[ ] Loss of Morning Erections
[ ] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[ ] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[ ] Watery Ejaculate
[ ] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability or Difficulty to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[ ] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[ ] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ ] Confusion
[ ] Memory Loss / Forgetfulness
[ ] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[ ] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[ ] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[ ] Severe Depression / Melancholy
[ ] Suicidal Thoughts
Physical
[x] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled) - Slowly getting better
[x] Penis curvature / rotation on axis - bends a little to the left now
[ ] Testicular Pain
[ ] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[ ] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[ ] Weight Gain
[ ] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[ ] Muscle Wastage
[x] Muscle Weakness
[x] Joint Pain
[x] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes
Misc
[ ] Prostate pain
[ ] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[ ] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[ ] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[ ] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] Tinnitus (ringing or high pitched sound in ears)
[ ] Hearing loss
[ ] Increased hair loss
[ ] Frequent urination
[ ] Lowered body temperature
[ ] Other (please explain)
What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
If you have pre or post-drug blood tests, what hormonal changes have you encountered since discontinuing the drug (please post your test results in the “Blood Tests” section and link to them in your post)?
I have pre bloods, will update when I do post bloods even though it has been 3 months already…
Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience?
Tell us your story, in your own words, about your usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
After applying 0.25mg of fin, scalp itch went completely and balls shriveled up a little. Woke up next day with muscle pain everywhere, ball pain and weirdly a higher pitched voice with more cracking?! This went next day and started with 0.125mg next week. Same sides but less pain, went next day. Week after I did 0.0625mg, no muscle pain, no ball pain but quit anyway because clearly this drug was not for me. 2 days later I had ball pain again, and woke up with severe hard flaccid. This has gotten like 80% better since then, but oddly I find myself with a crazy high libido for a couple of days, then followed by a flatline for weeks. I noticed that I had developed gyno during the treatment too, but went away after quitting - maybe in a couple of days?
I continued to use minoxidil, had all the sides, heart palps, tiredness ect… so I quit and then a month after I crashed horribly, it was like I had the flu. Severe muscle aches, night sweats, developed raynauds in hands and feet, fatigue, sore throat, wheezy cough. This all went in a week, and then now I notice the collagen issues, joint popping, skin indentations and dark circles. Like my hands sweat a TON they feel clammy all the time, it hurts to rest my hand on my phone. Muscles have gotten softer too.
I have a timeline that I did myself so you can see the progression of my symptoms. I’ll do regular updates too